Red Barns

Why are barns red?


Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a blue one, a yellow one, an orange one, or a green one.  The new metal-sided ones don't count - only the ones that a cow or a pig would be proud to call home.


They're just so... jolly!


Then... Why, oh why did I decide to Google that question to learn the "real" reason? 

One source said that farmers mixed rust with an oil mixture because rust is a poison to moss and mold. Ok... it's certainly not a romanitic or fanciful reason, but it makes sense.
Another source said that farmers mixed blood from their slaughters with the oil. Oh, no... can we just agree to forget that we read that?

I'd like to think that maybe farmers discovered that cows are soothed by the color red... oh, wait... Doesn't red make bulls mad?
Maybe farmers want to make their workplace beautiful... No... Every farmer I know is much too practical for that...


Whatever the reason, I love coming across a red barn, especially when it's obvious that it's had a life filled with animals, equipment, hay, and farmers.


 Hooray for the red barn!

Country Mailbox

How do you use your artistic license? 


Sometimes we drive down dirt roads just to see what we can find... you never know when the most mundane thing is just perfect... like this mailbox!  My husband pulled over, and I hopped out to snap a few pictures when, "Um, Honey... you might want to explain to that guy..."  He'd come around the house with a pretty unfriendly look on his face.  "Hi! I'm an artist, and you have a fabulous mailbox!  I'd love to paint it!"  How quickly his demeanor changed!  He was ready to tell me the history of how long it had been there, who put it there... 
Just goes to show you how important it is to carry that artistic license with you!


To enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of art pieces and vintage items) celebrating Arkansas, click Missing Arkansas.

Taylor Kids

Will  you paint my child? 
And as you do, can you change the shirt color, put back the feet that the photo cut off, fix the messed up hair?


When I discovered I could make colors and shapes look like faces, friends became more interested in my paintings.  I got a little more accurate and a little faster with each one, so I began to think I could accept any challenge.


As it turns out, yes, it is possible to do all of those things.  I just shouldn't have tried to learn so many things all in one painting.  There is one more very important lesson I learned while working on this painting... painting three little faces is three times as hard or time consuming as painting one!  Imagine... how could I not have figured that out ahead of time!

Farmers' Market

What makes your town unique?

My town has many unique attributes to keep it "Funky," but one of our favorites is our Farmers' Market on the Square.  My husband and I go nearly every Saturday.  Sometimes we buy vegetables or flowers.  More often, however, we just walk around twice (once to look and once to buy) just to take in the flavor of our city...

... musicians (some good, some not so much...) with their cases open for dollars...

...fresh vegetables...

...politicians with smiles and bumper stickers to give away...

...bouquets of flowers...

...dogs (in red vests from the animal shelter) looking for new homes...

...fruit and berries...

...hippies with petitions to be signed...

...dyed wool (with pictures of the sheep it came from)...

...old acquaintances saying "How've y'all been?"...

...dried spices...

...painters...

...pottery...

...children in strollers, elderly people, picky chefs, nature lovers...

It's like a kaleidoscope - splashes of bright colors.

We love our Farmers' Market.

Vacation Hat

Isn't she lovely!

When I see this picture, I hear Stevie Wonder's voice singing "Isn't She Lovely!"  from 1976!  Need a reminder?  Click and listen... it will take you back a few decades...

I loved working on this piece.  It just seemed to fall into place.  The hardest part was the skin... I'd never had to paint so much of it!  The key was to keep it from looking flat.  (I laughed that I'd never spend so much time studying an armpit!)  I had the same situation with the beach behind her.  Although it was flat, I needed it to have dimension.

I also played with manipulating parts of the piece - like fixing her necklace that was twisted.  Also, the scene behind her is actually what was in front of her.  That worked out fine until... I realized that the scene reflected in her sunglasses was the beach... the scene that was now behind her... confusing?  Yeah... So...  I just fuzzed out the reflection and called it done!

And, isn't she lovely?  No, wonder... her mother is my "Wedding Hat" lady!

And just for fun... she's also the mother of my "Li'l Punkin'" guy!

:) Smoky Mountains

No, I didn't paint this week...
But... I took many photos that may become paintings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Fella in a Big Fedora

How do colors and shapes come together to make eyes, nose, cheeks, chins, wrinkles, and folds? 

Here's how I do it - one step at a time.  The hardest part is having faith - knowing that the "ugly stage" is normal and necessary - believing that it will come back together in the end.

Little Fisherman

What is a triptych?


I always wanted to try one of these three-paneled paintings.One of the hardest parts for me was choosing a picture that would work.  


This little fisherman has been the star of several of my paintings.  He was also in "Honk!" and in "Hello, Butterfly!"

Original Oil Painting on 6x12, 9x12, 6x12 Wrapped Canvases
[SOLD]

Wedding Hat

What does it take to be brave enough to wear a hat?

Isn't she lovely!  And best of all, she's not some random lovely lady, she's my very own sister.  I always kind of thought of her as my own Sister Maria (from The Sound of Music).  Maybe that was because she took care of me a lot when I was little or because I always thought she looked like Julie Andrews.


I experimented with several new challenges while painting this portrait.  
First of all, it was the first time I had tried combining two pictures.  In the original photograph, she was standing  in a department store - clothes racks didn't seem as pleasant as the lush tropical backdrop from the actual wedding. 

It was also the first time I'd dabbled in removing information - who wants to see reading glasses or price tags!    The last thing is that this was the first adult I'd tried to put on the canvas.  Although I like the finished product, I discovered that this was not my calling. 

Gulf Fritillary on Echinanea

Who doesn't love a butterfly?

A butterfly is the one insect that nobody wants to swat.  I've learned recently that butterfly populations are diminishing.  And, one of the reasons it's happening is because people keep their yards so manicured that butterflies can't find the weeds that they love to lay their eggs on.  This sounds like a good excuse to use for not mowing the lawn!

Thanks to my friend Lisa for letting me paint her gorgeous photograph. This little butterfly was enjoying himself on a flower in the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks.

Orange Lilies

Tiger Lily  or Day Lily? 


Take your pick!  I love hardy flowers - those that come back year after year, that manage to survive and be stronger than the weeds, that are able to thrive without much attention. I guess that's why I've always been drawn to lilies. They grow and multiply and never to fail to announce that summer has finally come.

Click GREAT (and say that word like Tony the Tiger would say it!) to enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of related vintage items and art pieces) celebrating all kinds of tigers - including these tiger lilies!

Red Barn in Springtime

What's right?  What's wrong?

Right... it's peaceful... the grass is green, the daffodils are blooming, the barn is red, the sky is blue...

Wrong... a real farmer's working barn would have old equipment all around... there would be cow poop surrounding the barn area... there would have been fences or else the animals would have trampled and eaten the daffodils...

So... I've lived the real-life one.  But, I love the idea of the beautiful (almost enchanted) one.  It would be a good place to set a story.  

Enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces) celebrating Pinks and Red or another celebrating Trees by clicking. Go to a horse-themed collection is titled Horseback Riding. Also enjoy My Springtime. Then have a look at other treasuries like Life in the Country..., Country Cozy or Country Sampler for a little bit of everything country.  Finally, stop by Spring Babies where each selection shares the same lovely spring green.

[SOLD]